Coffee and Colleagues
by Dr. Jeremiah
Summary: College age Jeremie Belpois find himself in a rather odd relationship with his college professor, and through a combination of College, Coffee, Carpooling, and Comfort, must reconcile his feelings with the social norm, and his own personal demons. Rating may change to teen, depending on content. There is a bit of an age gap.
1. Very Interesting

Well, here we go. This is the intro to a story based on a Xana's Lair Drabble. It is a work in progress, but I will finish this one ding Dangit.

C&C

"Jeremie, do you think that you could stay after class this afternoon?"

Jeremie Belpois, first year college student, and a year early to boot, jumped at the sudden question.,he had already begun his physics project, using the lab equipment , and the professors request had taken him by surprise.

With nothing to hold him there, Jeremie had graduated from Kadic early, and gotten into a very prestigious college. His major was in "Theoretical Applications of Quantum Physics", and as such, he had quickly established a working relationship with his professor, who was one of the foremost in the new field.

His professor grinned, quickly offering an explanation.

"I just finished grading your essay, and some of the points you raised were very interesting, and I would like to discuss them, as one colleague to another."

Jeremie looked up from his laptop, the last statement taking him by surprise. The boy was brilliant, and no mistake, but even in the context of a professional relationship, he retained much of his teenage awkwardness.

Still, he was quite proud of his already significant contributions to the field, and discussing them might offer some insight.

"Of course," he answered, his voice slightly stuffy, and layered with just a touch of well earned arrogance.

His professor smiled, moving around her desk, bringing a shiny laptop with her. She pulled a desk over, various technical programs already running, filling the nearly silent classroom with the whirring of powerful hard drives. Jeremie's essay was open on the desktop, and he smiled at the opening paragraphs. Looking at it now, it had a slightly pretentious choice of wording. Someone of his, or his professors caliber would have little trouble understanding it, but the scientific terminology was years ahead of its time.

Jeremie stopped patting himself on the back just in time to hear his Professor suggest they meet for coffee the next morning.

Jeremie was a night-owl, and very prone to staying up late. Therefore, any offer of coffee was much appreciated.

"Of course,"answered Jeremie "I do enjoy a cup of coffee to start the morning."

"Very well then," said his professor, "Are you familiar with The Lion? It's one block past the Tailors', near the Kadic Campus."

Jeremie smiled. He was very familiar with the area around Kadic, having spent his early teens roaming the streets. The Lion was an old haunt of his.

"I know it well. My morning is generally free, so did you have a time in mind?"

"I think seven sounds good. My first class begins at seven fifteen."

Jeremie nodded. He could make it to the Lion without much trouble, and the early morning caffeine would do him good.

His professor stood, beginning to pack away her belongings. Jeremie also turned to go. With an understood arrangement to meet again, neither party found farewells to be necessary.

As Jeremie walked to the student parking lot, he began to ponder exactly what had gone on. In one fell swoop, he had plans for coffee, and an intelligent colleague to share it with.

"yes," pondered Jeremie, that Miss Schaeffer was truly something."

**A/N**

**One thing I have been trying to do lately isbuild the area around Kadic. We already have Henri, my Tailor, and now we have The Lion, asmall shop catering to early morning diners. ,**


	2. Promotion?

**C&C Reboot Chapter **

The very next day...

Jeremie Belpois made his way into the city, downtown of the Kadic Campus. The high school was dark, and wouldn't commence for another hour.

Never one to care about the school, Jeremie passed by it with little concern, making his way to his old sanctuary, The Lion. With a front like a coffee shop, and an enclosed back seating area, it was an excellent place for any time of day.

Today, remembered out sleepy protagonist, he would be meeting Miss Schaeffer for coffee. Come to think of it, Jeremie was not entirely sure why he had agreed to come here, but it would be nice to share a cup of coffee with a colleague. Our (somewhat) antisocial protagonist was definitely lacking in that area, and perhaps he could establish some connections.

Entering the building, Jeremie quickly noted that Miss Schaeffer had beaten him here, though only by a moment. As with Jeremie, the ever present laptop case sat beside her, and she was perusing the menu. Jeremie crossed to the booth, and with a sigh, lowered himself into the opposite seat. Miss Schaeffer noticed him, and greeted him with a quick wave. Jeremie inclined his head as a greeting, and sat, not entirely sure what to say.

Miss Schaeffer quickly solved that problem.

"Good Morning Mr. Belpois. I'll bet you want why you are here."

Truth be told, Jeremie very much wanted to know why he was here. One moment Miss Schaeffer had been reviewing his work, and the next, she had asked him to come to The Lion.

"Have a seat, order some coffee, and then we can get down to business."

As if on cue, a black clad waiter appeared from the main dining area. Startled by his sudden appearance, Jeremie ordered a cup of the excellent black coffee the Lion served. Miss Schaeffer ordered something with cinnamon, and a croissant, with apple butter.

Once the waiter had vanished, she quickly became very business like. From her bag, she pulled a mamilla folder. Inside, was what appeared to be a contract.

Taking a moment to straighten her papers, Miss Schaeffer began.

"As I am sure you are aware, you are brilliant. So brilliant in fact, that the school board is considering graduating you early.

Jeremie stopped breathing for a moment. He was a freshman, albeit one with excellent credentials, and his college was going to Graduate him years ahead of schedule.

Jeremie's daydreams of wealth, and the years ahead was cut short, as Miss Schaeffer continued.

"However, on review, the school board attached a caveat. To insure that you were ready, you would be assigned to a teacher in the field, as a Student Teacher. As the teacher who made the original recommendation, I of course volunteered to serve as your host teacher."

Miss Schaeffer slid the contract to him, allowing him enough time to make a decision.

As Jeremie read over the contract, he only half scanned for the legal traps he knew how to recognize. He did not expect any, and obviously, this opportunity was one or a kind.

After scanning the document, Jeremie pulled a pen from his coat, signing in the various places, and initialing where required.

After reviewing it one final time, Jeremie returned the completed contract to his Professor, who stowed it safely in its envelope, just in time for coffee to arrive. As they sipped at coffee, Jeremie listened intently, as Miss Schaeffer outlined what he would do in his new position. He would serve as s second teacher, but subordinate to her. His duties would be exactly the same, and he would eventually take over the day to day running of one of Miss Schaeffer's classes.

Finally, it was time to go. Both Jeremie and Miss Schaeffer had places to be, and things to do.

As he was leaving, Miss Schaeffer remembered one final point.

"Also, you and I will need to meet bi-weekly, to discuss any issues that you have. Do you have anywhere alas you want to meet?"

Jeremie smiled, before shaking his head.

"Here should be fine."

After Jeremie returned to his car, he sat for a while, deep in thought. Just like that, he had a job, a free ride, and a brand new set of responsibilities.


	3. Conundrums

Wooooooh! Perspective Flip.

Miss Aelita Schaeffer exited The Lion shortly after Mr. Belpois.

She had parked a bit of a walk away from the cafe, And therefore, she would have to endure the chilly morning weather for a bit longer. Top on the list of her priorities was forming a concrete opinion of Mr. Belpois.

Though she had brought his case to the administration, she was still unsure about him. He was brilliant, no mistake, but those at his level were often emotionally stunted. It would require more observation, before she could form a concrete opinion. Only time would tell.

She had enough to think about for now. Work, teaching, her own continued education. She was saving for a house, and to top it all, the hospital had called again.

Ms. Schaeffer sighed. Life was not easy. Still, she had a good job, intelligent students, and a career track definitely headed up. Life wasn't easy, but life was good.

Jeremie Belpois pulled open his car door. Sitting down quickly, he hit the key. The small red two door groaned in protest, before turning over. Jeremie sighed. If his car died, he would have some definite issues. Thankfully, it seemed to be working for now. Class was calling, and it was time for Jeremie's Advanced Calculations class.

After classes, he and Ms. Schaeffer would meet again, to hash out details for his first day on the job.

Later that day...

Jeremie's car sputtered and spit, crossing the bridge into town. As per their correspondence, he would meet Ms. Schaeffer, to prepare for the next mornings "shadowing" in lieu of his normal Theoretical Applications class.

Jeremie had actually arrived first, and indicated a table for two. The waiter, a tall, unhappy looking man of European descent, quickly and efficiently served him a cup of coffee, as well as inquiring about his order. Jeremie asked him to wait, and and he faded back into the interior of the Lion.

Soon enough, Ms. Schaeffer appeared. She wore pale pastels, and her short cropped fluttered slightly in the cold wind from the outside.

She drew her coat around her, hurrying inside. She sat opposite of Jeremie, shivering slightly, as the toasty warmth of the shop suffused her chilled skin.

After a moment spent basking in warmth, Ms. Schaeffer sat down. As before, she ordered cinnamon coffee, crossiant, and apple butter. She also held another Manila Folder.

After a warm greeting, she once again got down to business.

"This envelope has my lesson plan and schedule for the week. I'm planning on giving you a few days, then asking you to take over as primary teacher. I'll still be there, but teaching will be your responsibility.

This material will be familiar to you, as it is the same concept that your paper explains."

Jeremie looked up at that.

Ms. Schaeffer smiled at his evident confusion, and slight suspicion.

"This class is less advanced. We are about a week behind your class."

Jeremie blushed at his paranoia. Honestly, any other student would still be attempting to understand the material, let alone teach it. It made sense that the other classes were not yet learning the same material.

Briefly skimming the provided packet, nothing leapt out at Jeremie that he did not fully understand.

"Very well. Perhaps I can begin on Wednesday? Two days to observe and prepare, and a third to begin teaching?"

Ms. Schaeffer nodded.

"That should be sufficient time for you to pick up the very basics. As per the contract terms you realize that you will be teaching for roughly a year and a half.

Jeremie nodded. This would be a difficult regime, but he had no doubt that he would be able to do it.

"Good," said . "Now, lets just try and enjoy our coffee."

Ms. Schaeffer, Jeremie could sense, was a bit stressed. For himself, the human interaction was nice, and of course the time spent away from a screen would do him nothing but good. With a content sigh, he sunk further into his seat. He brought his coffee cup to his mouth, and as he sipped lightly at the piping hot brew, realized that he had no idea what to say. Business, he could handle, idle chat, not so much. After a moment of deliberating, he settled on the non confrontational, non specific query, of "how life?"

As luck would have it, Ms. Schaeffer chose to ask precisely the same question, and at the exact same time.

Our intrepid hero honestly has no idea how to deal with this. Thankfully, Ms. Schaeffer had very little of Jéremié's awkwardness. Graciously, she dropped her own question, and instead answered her pupil's.

"Life is good. Hard, but good. Just the day to grind mostly." Ms. Schaeffer smiled. "Your student teaching should alleviate some boredom though. It's been a while since I could actually relax. Unless you manage to set something on fire, I think we should be good,"

She had made a joke, Jéremié realized belatedly, laughing a half second after he should have.

Still she had put him more at ease, and subconsciously, some of his barriers relaxed, allowing him to speak about himself.

"In answer to your question, my life is going great." Jeremie laughed, "I just got a free ride through college, it's hard not to be happy."

Ms. Schaeffer also laughed.

"I did have one question, Jéremié, just to satisfy my own curiosity, not in any official capacity. Do you live on campus? Or do you have an apartment?"

Truth be told, Jéremié did not mind the question. It had been a very long time since anyone cared. He was happy to answer.

"I live in an apartment. Not alone though, I room with an art major. He's Odd."

"Oh? What's strange about him?"

"Alot, but that's not what I meant. That is his name. Odd Della Robbia. He's an Art Major. We don't share many interests. He pays his half of the rent on time, so that's not a problem. He's a good kid."

Ms. Schaeffer nodded.

"Sometimes that's the best kind of roommate. Seen and not really heard. What does his major focus on?"

"He focuses on graphic design. If you've seen the mural in the Art College lobby, he did that."

As their conversation continued, their waiter came over once again. Looking somewhat sheepish, he asked,

"I'm sorry, but did you say Odd Della Robbia goes to school here?"

His interruption reminded Jéremié where he was. All at once, the barriers were back.

"Why," he asked frostily, "do you ask?"

The German man held up both hands in a placating gesture.

"No reason, just an old Highschool friend. We lost touch over the years. Just wondered if he'd remember an old friend."

"I see." Said Jéremié, still ill at ease, "did you have contact information you wished to give him?"

"Oh, yeah, here." The man quickly scrawled a name and number on a napkin. "If you could give him this, I'd be incredibly grateful."

Still less than at ease, Jéremié glanced at the paper, then placed it in his laptop case.

"I'll take the check now, Mr. Stern. Thank you."

Seeing that Jéremié was less than comfortable, Mr. Stern quickly lapsed back into his professional mannerisms.

"Of course, sir."

The check arrived, as checks are wont to do. Jéremié, once again on guard, silently handed Mr. Stern a card. He took it, and left for the register terminal.

After a moment, he returned, card in hand, as well a small slip of paper. Knowing the discomfort it would likely cause, Mr. Stern spoke haltingly.

"Mr. Belpois, it appears that your card contains insufficient funds." He paused, swallowing uncomfortably. "Do you have an alternate method of payment."

Jéremié paled, then flushed a deep, unpleasant red. Without a word, he began to remove his wallet from his pocket, obviously intent on finding some other form of payment. Ms. Schaeffer stopped him, and instead handed Mr. Stern a card of her own. In a few moments, he handed her a receipt, and sensing the tense atmosphere, withdrew to the safety of the kitchen.

Jéremié stood, and abruptly shoved his hands into his pockets, attempting to hide his clenched fists.

All of his boundaries were back up, and he spoke imperiously.

"I will return your money tomorrow. I apologize if my negligence caused you any inconvenience."

With no other words, Jéremié turned on his heel, his black coat fluttering in the wake of his hurried passing.

Ms. Schaeffer thought about pursuing him, but realized that in his current state of mind, he would not be inclined to hear the voice of reason.

Instead, she opened a document on her computer, entitled Belpois. In addition to the information already archived there, she started a new bullet point.

After a moment of thought, she began to type.

Jéremié does not react well to intrusion by non familiar individuals. Indeed, he rarely acknowledges those who he does not trust. Also, when placed in a situation where he is unable to do what he believes is necessary, Jéremié showcases deep set, I'll concealed rage. Strangely, Jéremié seems to trust me. I think this situation requires further examination.


End file.
